It's been five minutes since we last mentioned a Brooklyn band, so here's the lowdown on the new EP from Backlights to make up for it. 'High Ceiling Nice Fiction' is the second proper release from the quartet, following on from 2010's eponymous debut. Theirs is a reasonably conventional take on indie-rock, but one with its head in the clouds, as while the songs may be routine in composition and style they come with a dreamy finish which helps give them a touch more identity. It's not the quality of the songs that's routine, in fact they're very good, but Backlights seem to use a pretty regular band set-up to create their sounds, rather than delving into the hit and miss experimental scene that's so prominent round their way at the moment.
There's a love of echo on this record which brings with it a fuller sound, a technique employed by many bands since Phil Spector's pioneering work in the early 60s, but if you're expecting Spectorish pop you're out of luck. Backlights are a guitar band at heart, and one that don't shy away from emotion, with some tracks steadily building an atmosphere over several minutes, such as the glorious 'I Will Appear' or the glittery 'Caution'. The post-punky 'From The Rooftop' is a definite highlight that would make a great single. Instead they've chosen the harsher and more rickety 'Location' to plug the album; it's a fine song but an odd choice given the immediacy of some of the other options. Still, 'High Ceiling Nice Fiction' is a good solid EP that won't disappoint.
Backlights' website
Buy the EP
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